Son Somaly, 19, year-12 student at Toul Kbel High School in Kompong Thom Province

“I don’t think other young Cambodians should invest in the stock exchange. The system is made for older people with a lot of money and experience with finance. If you’re a young adult still dependent on your parents for money, even from time to time, how can you even think about losing money on the CSX? It’s going to be disappointing and affect your future in a bad way. I think Cambodian youth need to concentrate instead on studying and getting a good university education, and then moving on to get good jobs.”

Am Thidapov, 24, Brokerage Department staff at Phnom Penh Securities Plc

“The stock exchange is an important development that will improve the living standards of people, enterprises and the country as a whole. It provides a special opportunity for Cambodian youth to use their knowledge about finance, and also gain knowledge about the economy. Anyone can invest in the CSX, but the important thing is to do so in accordance with regulation and the law. Youth, in particular, should have all relevant information before investing. With investment, there’s loss and gain. But, a good young entrepreneur can make the right decisions to benefit from gains.”

Ly Oudom, 21, second-year student at University of Cambodia

“As an investment consultant for my family with the CSX, I think young Cambodians shouldn’t invest. That’s because it requires much knowledge in both economics and politics. Also, to invest well, you need to have done a lot of research on the CSX and also on the companies’ listings. Some youth, however, are qualified to invest if they have enough solid background in finance that allows them to analyse their decisions before buying shares. In order to get more knowledge about the stock exchange, young Cambodians should attend workshops and training sessions about the CSX.”

Hem Sovannary, 21, third-year student at Royal University of Phnom Penh

“Compared to other countries, our stock exchange doesn’t offer many benefits. The CSX yields few profits, and the numbers of companies listed are so limited – that’s why young Cambodians don’t know much about it. It’s a huge risk. Even more, investing in the CSX is a bit like gambling. If you get addicted, it might be hard to change – so we should do our best to become knowledgeable before investing, so that we’re using skill and not playing a game when it comes to the CSX.”

Heng Piseth, 21, second-year student at Royal University of Law and Economics

“I don’t think it’s good for young Cambodians to invest in the stock exchange because there’s only a small chance of getting back a profit. As youth, we should put our study first instead of getting into something risky. Investing in the CSX could take away both time and money from our university education. Also, the stock exchange has just started in our country, so we know little about how it will develop. We don’t know if it’s stable yet; it could be dangerous to invest in.”